Delete: Up in Smoke
by rose in the snow
Summary: What can you do when the person you care about most must face off against the game programmers? What can you do as you wait to be deleted and leave behind the person you can't live without? These are the things that Swizz and Cynethia are learning to cope with and hopefully avoid. Swirled Smoke pairing.


Delete: Up in Smoke

The rebellious racer, that's what Cynethia was. She had been programmed to rebel against everything including the boy she was closest to although Swizz wasn't the most obedient racer that was in Sugar Rush. She was older than the other racers and taller too.

She leaned against a tree in the doublestripe forest, where anyone could see her. They never did see her though. She, like Vanellope, had a special power. She could disappear and reappear at will. That's why she could stand there without the other racers seeing her.

She took a box of candy cigarettes out of one pocket of her leather jacket. She pulled one out and put it her mouth before returning the box. The candy cigarette was a fancy one that looked like a real cigarette. The end was orange and tasted the same. The top was white and tasted like whipped cream. It was that way in all the candy cigarettes in Sugar Rush.

'It's strange to think that I'm based on candy cigarettes but the cigarettes are based on orange creamsicles.'

The day was cool and there were few karts out in Sugar Rush since the arcade had been closed for Christmas. She probably could reappear for now but it would feel strange to appear during the day. That's why the gamers and Turbo never saw her but Swizz and some of the others did.

Swizz drove up in his kart, knowing that she was waiting for him there. It was tradition. "Hey Cyndy." He said.

She reappeared in front of him. It didn't even surprise him any more. He still liked when she did it but he was used to it by now. "Hey Swizz." She said with a smile on her face.

Swizz couldn't help notice her beauty ever time he was with her. She had pink cheeks that seemed to glow like the end of a cigarette. Her eyes were brown with orange spots that showed up in the light. Her hair was black and long like burnt ash. She wore a white t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket. She also wore a black leather skirt, orange tights and black sneakers. Around her waist she had a orange belt with a revolver in a holsteer at her side.

"How was racing today?" She asked.

"Pretty good. I won first 3 times and second 5 times." He decided to keep it brief since he felt bad that Cynethia couldn't race.

"That's even better than yesterday." She said with a smile. Swizz smiled. She always there to support him. He felt bad when she smiled like that.

He took her hand and said "I wish I could could race with you."

The smile fell from her face and she became still. "You know why I can't."

"I know that the programmers have been trying to delete you ever since this whole wave of 'candy cigarettes are bad since they promote smoking' but you shouldn't be afraid of them, Cyndy."

She blushed without control since he had called her by her nickname, something that only he spoke. "They're looking for me. I know they are. They're trying to delete me. It's gotten worse and I know they'll start coming for me everyday once the new year starts. I just have a terrible feeling in my stomach. We should just enjoy the time we have now." She said, cradling his hand in hers.

He wanted to pull his hand away. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong and that they would get out of this. That had split up in the 14 years that Turbo had controlled Sugar Rush but they had gotten back together after. It had been a year and 1/2 now since Vanellope had taken over. He didn't want her to leave or get taken from him. He truly did love her, even though he did flirt with others, especially Minty. Cyndy knew it was part of his code. She wasn't just a pretty face, not like the others. "Please Cyndy, just for a week. Nobody will be here. The arcade opens again Janurary 2nd so until then could you please just meet the others and race too? Please Cyndy?"

She looked at his face and could feel herself breaking. Swizz was all she had, how could she say no to him? "Uh, sure I'll do it but only for these two weeks."

"Oh thank you Cyndy." Swizz said and kissed her cheek. "I want to go introduce you to everyone."

"Do we have to?" She asked. "I'd rather if we didn't have to."

Swizz was ready to start begging but he decided to hold off for a bit. 'Cyndy's usually right so I should just wait a little. I did just get her to agree to something that I've been begged her to do for over a year now.'

He was so happy that she had agreed but that also scared him to his very code. That meant the Cyndy was serious. They truly did want to delete her.

There was that word again, 'delete'. A word that sounded menacing and for any video game character it meant their life was over. The word was death and then nothing.

Swizz and all the otber characters knew that there was nothing that could be done when the programmers wanted to delete someone. It was the same as being sentenced to death. A character had to just wait until it was over.

The idea of Cyndy waiting to be executed, sadden and terrified him.

"Do you want to go to the Sugar Rush tavern?" He asked, hoping to go there and forget about her upcoming execution.

"Do you really me to go there and meet the others?" She asked.

"Yes, please Cyndy." He said holding her hand still.

"If you really want me to, I'll go." She said with a shrug.

"Oh thank you Cyndy! I can't wait for the others to me you. I know that they'll love you." He said with a smile. "Do you want to come in my kart?"

She hesitated before nodding. She knew that she could get out of this if she just got on her bike and drove away but she knew she had to try to make an effort.

She climbed into the barely there passenger seat after hiding her motorbike. Swizz kissed her cheek lightly before headed off into the middle of Sugar Rush


End file.
